African Clawed Toad

African clawed toads inhabit many of the rivers and streams of Africa. They spend most of their time in the stagnant, or still, pools of water. These aquatic, or water-living, toads almost never go onto land. Their short front legs help them swim, but are not very useful in walking.

African clawed toads have brownish-gray skin on their backs. Their broad, flat bodies are useful in swimming and digging in the mud. Their large, flattened, webbed hind feet help to propel them through the water, while their long splayed, or separated, fingers and claws help them catch prey. African clawed toads also have small, triangular-shaped heads with eyes that face upward instead of forward. Unlike many frogs and toads which breathe through their skin, African clawed toads breathe through large lungs. They get their oxygen by coming to the surface often for large gulps of air. African clawed toads generally grow to be about five inches (12 centimeters) long.

African clawed toads are carnivorous, which means they eat only meat. They live on a diet of insects. African clawed toads catch their prey by waiting on the bottom of the waterway for something to swim near them. They then run their long fingers through the water and snatch their prey. This type of hunting is called ambush feeding, because it catches the prey by surprise.

Like many other toads, African clawed toads are preyed upon by snakes and birds. They protect themselves by covering their bodies with a smelly slime.

It is not known when African clawed toads mate, but sometime after mating, the females lay their eggs in the water. The eggs develop into free-swimming tadpoles, or young toads with tails. They eventually lose their tails and swim only with their webbed hind feet.

African clawed toads have a life span of about 10 years.

Source: Encyclopedia of Animals